The Red-Haired Kunoichi
by nutmeggie231
Summary: The life of my OC, Kairi, in the Shinobi world of Naruto.
1. Chapter 1

Morning light broke out on Kairi's face on the morning of her first day as a Genin. She squinted and sat up.

"What a beautiful day…" She said, stretching her arms out.

She walked over to her dresser and looked in the mirror. She wiped her bright blue eyes, and brushed out her hair. Her hair was long and bright red. She had her hair parted over to the side, and her long layers in the front. She had this pale, pink skin and hourglass figure.

Kairi lived in an apartment building that Naruto, her best friend, lived in. Just down a few doors. They often ate together and walked to school together. Both of them were orphans that grew up without parents. It made them very close friends because they could relate so easily.

There was a knock at the door.

_That's got to be Naruto._

"Oh my gosh! I didn't know you graduated! I did too!" she said, noticing his ninja headband and giving him a hug. "Now we can go to class together today! Oh yeah, come inside, I made some Ramen and some fresh potatoes." She said, pulling his arms.

"Sweet! I'm in!" He said, following her inside. He sat down and she handed him some Ramen and a bowl of potatoes. Kairi walker over to her mirror and brushed through her long, red hair. She tied her headband in her hair and turned to Naruto.

"Hey Naruto, you know how I've been working at the Konoha Springs Spa? Well, I have been invited to bring some guests to stay there this weekend and see one of their fancy shows! Well, that is, if you want to go…"

"Of course I do!"

"But Naruto, this show is kind of fancy. You have to wear something nice. All people who attend must wear nice suits and dresses."  
"Yeah, yeah. We will!" Naruto noticed the clock. "Kairi! We need to get to school!" He said, shoving a potato in his mouth and grabbing her hand. He pulled her out of the room.

"You go ahead Naruto, I have to fill my water." Kairi said.

"Okay, Kairi!" Naruto said, he walked in the door, and the first thing he saw was Sakura, the love of his life. "H-hey Saku-"

"Move it Naruto! I'm trying to get around you!" She said, pushing him out the way. "Good morning, Sasuke." She said, shyly. He ignored her.

_There he is…the class heart-throb. Sasuke Uchiha. Thinks he's so cool! I hate that guy! _Naruto thought. He got up on the desk in front of Sasuke and got right in Sasuke's face.

_Sasuke graduated too. _Kairi smiled to herself. _Of course he did, he's a genius. _

Kairi had grown up with the Uchiha clan, Sasuke's family. She met Sasuke when they first started to attend the Ninja Academy. Soon after, they found themselves training together. She was at his house a lot of the time. She became like another member of the family, since she had none of her own. After the tragedy, Sasuke became distant from everyone, only rarely speaking to Kairi now and again. It had actually been about a year since Kairi had seen Sasuke. Kairi had attended a completely different class than him. Now that they graduated, they were in the same class.

"Get out of my face, loser." He said, emotionlessly. Just then, the kid sitting next to Kairi got up and bumped Naruto.

Naruto's mouth landed right on Sasuke's. The mob of Sasuke's fangirls exploded in anger. Both of the boys started gagging.

"Naruto! You pieve of crap, you are dead!" Sasuke said, holding his throat.

"Poison! My mouth is ruined!" Naruto said, not paying any attention _Ack! Bloodlust… _He turned around to find Sakura cracking her knuckles.

"It was an accident! I swear!" Naruto said, shaking his head frantically.

"Naruto…you make me sick!" she said.

Kairi walked in the door at that moment. Since everything was so quiet, everyone turned when she did.

"Hey guys." She said and smiled to Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura.

Sasuke looked over at her. "Hi." He said to her.

_Are you kidding me? He didn't even reply to me in any way, and yet the moment she walks in, he's hot talk to her. _Sakura thought. _She's one of the __**only **__girls in this entire class that hasn't declared her love for Sasuke, and she's the __**only **__one that ever gets his attention._

Sakura, like almost every one of their classmates, had no idea just how close Sasuke and Kairi were. She only saw that Sasuke gave her his special attention on more than one occasion.

Sasuke sat back down in his seat and regained his cool. Kairi made her way over to the seat next to him.

"What is it, Sasuke?" Kairi noticed his stare.

Sasuke reached his hand over and picked a feather out of her hair that was stuck there. "Just this." He said to her.

Kairi wasn't oblivious to the fact that Sasuke was this way to her. She knew they had something special. She couldn't quite understand their relationship though.

"From this day forward, you are no longer students of ninjutsu, but full-fledged shinobi. But, among the ranks of shinobi, you are mere novices, lowest of the low. Your greatest challenges still lie ahead. The next step is the assignment of official duties to you all in behalf of our villiage. We will begin by dividing you into three-man cells. Each will be mentored by a Jonin, a more senior ninja who will guide and coach you as you become familiar with your various assignments." Iruka said while everyone listened in curiosity.

Kairi thought about it. _Hmm…I wonder who I'll be with…_

Sasuke did too. _Three-man cells? Sounds like too many…I wonder who Kairi will be with… _

As did Sakura. _It's perfect! I know they'll team me up with Sasuke_!

Naruto did too. _As long as I'm partnered with Sakura…I'll take anyone else…except Sasuke!_ Iruka spoke again.

"I made the selections so that each cell's abilities would be equal."

"WHAT?!" The entire class shouted at him. He began to name off the cells.

"Squad 7: Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha. Squad 8: Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame. Squad 9 Tadashi Akihiro, Kairi Namikaze and Daigo Yuudai. Squad 10: Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi. That's all the squads! Now get with your groups!" The whole class shifted a little to sit with their groups.

"I'll be introducing your senior ninjutsu instructors this afternoon. Until then, you're dismissed for lunch."

"Sasuke is such a jerk! This sucks! This SUCKS!" Naruto said, crunching up his brown lunch bag. Then, he gave a evil grin. _I've got it!_

_Sasuke let shis guard down when he's eating… _Naruto thought, sitting inside a building with a loop he was lassoing around Sasuke. He pulled him inside and they tussled for a bit. Then, Sasuke popped out of the window.

"Fool…"

_Sigh…How can I overwhelm him by my girlish beauty when I got so short-changed in the T&A department?! The only part of me that's over-sized is my stupid forehead! I wish I had Kairi's natural feminine beauty…I'm so self-conscious about it! Hm? It can't be! _She saw Sasuke across the park road. _Sasuke! He's looking at me! With bedroom eyes! Like he can see right through me! _She started dreaming for a minute.

_"You have such a noble brow…so charming, I could kiss it!" Sasuke said, looking at her dreamily._

_ "Well, that's what it's there for…" Sakura said, blushing._

Then she woke up, even more bummed than before. _Fairy tales don't come true…and it couldn't happen to me…_

"You have such a noble brow."

_What!? _She looked up at Sasuke, leaning against a tree across the way.

"So charming…I could kiss it!"

Sakura couldn't believe her ears. _If I'm dreaming, don't wake me!_ _Inner Sakura: __**Oh Yeah! Dreams DO come true!**_

****"That's probably what Naruto would say." He said abruptly. Sakura's head flopped back down. Then, he sat next to her on the bench

"Sakura, I have to know…" he said.

"Yes?" she answered.

"What do you think of Naruto?" Her face turned to grief.

"If he had his way, I'd never find love or happiness. He ruins everything…he enjoys tormenting me! Naruto doesn't understand me at all! I can't stand to have him anywhere near me! In fact, the one person whose opinion I value…the only one I really want to be close to…is you, Sasuke." His face went wide. "I'd do almost anything to win your attention…your respect…because I have a crush on you…I'm…desperate." Then she blushed and leaned in to kiss him. He sat there, frozen.

_Damn Naruto! Used his shinobi illusions to pass as me! What is he up to?! _Sasuke thought as he was tied up on the floor.

When their faces were an inch away, Naruto's stomach churned. _M-my stomah! _He pulled away from her, holding his stomach.

"Hm? What's wrong, Sasuke?" She said as he ran to the building.

_ I'm getting the runs! Gotta go!_

_ Oh, Sasuke. He's shy! Maybe he needs to gather up the courage… _Sakura thought as she sat on the bench, watching him run back to the school.

Kairi sat alone, eating her lunch under a cherry blossom tree. _Hmm…Tadashi and Daigo…I've never met them. _She said, spacing out.

"Hello Kairi!" said someone. She looked up. The friendly face of Daigo Yuudai was smiling back at her. She smiled back sweetly.

"Hello." She said, her other teammate, Tadashi, was standing beside him. He nodded at her as a hello. He was slouching and had his hands in his pockets.

"Hi." She said to him, almost in question of him. She shrugged.

"Class starts in five minutes Kairi, we'd better go and meet our Jonin instructor!" He said pulling her up.

"Okay, let's go."

~End of Chapter 1~

Hey guys, hope you've enjoyed this opening chapter ^.^

Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the Naruto characters, just the story and my OC, Kairi.

All rights to Masashi Kishimoto


	2. Chapter 2

"Hmm…" Naruto said as he peeked his head out the classroom door. Sakura, Sasuke, Kairi, Daigo and Tadashi were all inside. They were waiting for their Jonin leaders.

"Cut it out, Naruto!" Sakura shouted at him.

"Why are we the only two squads whose leaders haven't shown up yet?! All the other squads have gone off with their teachers! Even Master Iruka is gone!" Then he got a devilish idea. "Heh heh heh…" he rigged the door with a chalkboard eraser. "It's what they get for making us all wait!"

"Heh, good one Naruto." Kairi said, sitting on one of the desks. Just then, the door started to open. A white-haired man walked in and the eraser dropped on his head.

"Hahaha! Gotcha! Good one!" Naruto said, pointing and laughing at him.

_So this is our elite shinobi leader? He looks completely worthless._ Sasuke thought.

"Hmm…how shall I put this? Based on my first impression, I'd have to say…I hate all of you." The white-haired man said with a small smile on his face.

"Oh, stop it Kakashi, you're scaring them." Said another man with brown, spikey hair and a long scar on his face.

~~~

"Alright, first thing you six should know is that both of your squads will be training together a lot." The brown-haired man said. "Now, I'd like you to tell us a little about yourselves" he continued saying.

"Like what?" Daigo said with a confused look on his face.

"You know, what you like, what you hate, dreams and things like that." That white-haired one said. "I guess I'll start. I'm Kakashi Hatake. I'm the kind of person who doesn't really like talking about what he likes and dislikes. My dreams for the future are none of your business. And hobbies…I guess I just have a lot of them." He finished.

"Wow, he said a lot but all we really learned was his name." Kairi whispered to Naruto. They giggled.

"I'll go next. I'm Raido Namiashi. I like it when my students do their training correctly. I dislike it when they don't listen." He gave a sharp look to Daigo, who was about to throw a spitball at him. "My dream for the future…I don't really have one yet. No hobbies either. Now it's your turn. Let's start with you on the far left." Tadashi looked up at him.

"I'm Tadashi Akihiro. I like my space, and dislike those who don't know how to leave me alone when I want to be. Someday I will find a medicine to give my mother the use of her legs back. I don't have hobbies or anything like that, I just like to train." He finished.

_Jeez…this guy is deep…just like Sasuke._ Sakura thought.

"Okay, now you, on the far right."

Kairi nodded. "I'm Kairi. I like to train and eat ramen most of the time. There really isn't much I dislike, except for people who crush other people's dreams. Dreams for the future…hmm…I guess I just want to be a strong kuniochi. As for hobbies, I work at the spa in my spare time. I've received an invitation to bring a few guests to the spa this weekend, and I was hoping to take all of you." Kairi said, smiling. "Meet me in front of my apartment at 8am tomorrow. The Acorn building on Kato street."

"Wow! Thanks Kairi!" Sakura said.

"Well, Kakashi and I were planning on having you guys train tomorrow but I guess we'll do that in a few days." Raido said, putting his hand behind his head. "Besides, it might even be a good chance to get to know each other better." He added, noticing the animosity between some of them.

"So, 8am tomorrow then?" Kakashi said.

"Mm-hmm, and bring something formal to wear to the show we're seeing." Kairi added.

"What's the show?" Daigo asked.

"It's a surprise." Kairi stuck out her tongue, sweetly.

"Okay, you're all dismissed." Raido said. Then he and Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Tadashi hopped down from the rail he was sitting on. "If we're done here, I'm going home." He said.

"See you tomorrow then, Tadashi." Kairi said, waving. Tadashi put his hand up in response as he walked away.

_Idiot, stole my line._ Sasuke thought.

~~~  
The next morning: 7:45

Kairi was packing her bag for the trip. Her hair was damp from getting out of the shower. She was hurrying from the kitchen to the dresser over and over picking out what was in her bag. Before she knew it, there was a knock at her door.

Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke were standing there waiting for her. "Oh! Hey guys! Hold on, I'll be right out!" Kairi said, pulling her shirt down and stepping back in the door. Sasuke blushed.

_Jeesh, I feel my cheeks getting warm. Shit._ Sasuke turned his face to the side, and pretended to be distracted.

Naruto walked right into Kairi's apartment, much to Sakura's dismay.

"Hey Kairi, you got any food?" Naruto asked, opening her fridge.

"Naruto! You can't just walk into someone's place and do what you want!" Sakura smacked him in the shoulder.

Kairi slung her bag over her shoulder and walked out of her room. She giggled at Sakura. "It's okay Sakura, I'm used to it." She heard a bit of noise outside. Looking out the window, she noticed Tadashi, Daigo and Raido-sensei standing there.

~~~

"Good morning Kairi!" Daigo shouted.

"Y'know Daigo, I can hear." Kairi replied with a laugh. Sasuke couldn't but be annoyed with Daigo's presence. He knew that Daigo was head over heels in love with Kairi, and he found it extremely annoying.

"We need to leave! Where's Kakashi and Raido-sensei?!" Kairi said impatiently.

"I can see this is going to be a habit of theirs." Sakura said, massaging her temples.

"Yo." Kakashi said as he appeared by Sakura. She jumped.

"Jeez Kakashi-sensei! Don't scare me like that!" She complained. Just then, they heard the sound of hooves on the pavement. A carriage was coming down the road.

"What the heck? Is there royalty coming to town?" Naruto asked, scratching his head.

"Oh, that's for us, of course." Kairi said.

"Are you serious?!" Sakura exclaimed. Kairi nodded. When the carriage pulled up, everyone piled in.

~~~

It was about a two-and-a-half-hour ride. By the time the carriage arrived, everyone was jumping to get out of it. The entrance to the spa in front of them was gigantic. It was beautifully covered in sakura blossom trees.

"Wow, Kairi, you have to walk this far to work every day?" Daigo asked.

"Oh goodness, no! This is actually a different spa that the one I usually work at. I only work here during festivals and big occasions." She said, smiling.

An old lady dressed very nicely came out of the entrance. She looked very wealthy and was wearing a very expensive kimono. "Welcome to my spa!" She spat very cheerfully.

"Lady Minoko." Kairi said, bowing down to the feudal lord's wife. Following example, everyone else did the same.

"Welcome Kairi! Dear friends, let me show you to your rooms." Lady Minoko said. "Have you decided who gets to share rooms? There are four rooms with two beds each."

Kakashi and Raido had made the list of rooms. Kakashi read it aloud to them. "Okay, Room 346: Naruto and Sasuke."

"What?! Are you kidding me?!" Naruto thought. He growled.

_Great, I'm rooming with that loser._ Sasuke thought.

"Room 347: Kairi and Sakura. Room 348: Tadashi and Daigo. Room 349: Me and Raido." He finished with a smile. Daigo and Tadashi were friends, enough to get along. Unlike Sasuke and Naruto. They just groaned.

"Just don't get into my stuff, Sasuke!" Naruto said pointing at him.

"Like I would want to, loser." Sasuke replied.

"What did you say?!"

"Enough!" Kairi barged in. "We're here to relax! Not fight!"

Sasuke immediately backed off. When it came to Kairi, he always listened to what she said. Someone tapped on her shoulder.

"Tsuyoshi! I wondered when you'd get here!" Kairi said to a tall, handsome-looking boy with adorable brown hair. His name was Tsuyoshi Kuro. He worked at the spa just like Kairi. He was just one year older than her. They had become good friends.

"I just got here!" He said cheerfully. Sasuke just looked suspiciously at him.

"Who're you?" Daigo said, almost impatiently.

"Oh, everyone, this is Tsuyoshi. He's my coworker at the spa." Kairi said with one hand on Tsuyoshi's shoulder. Sasuke was bothered.

_Those two seem chummy._ He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

"Well, I think we should all go to our rooms and unpack." Raido said, sensing the tension in the room.

"Just meet up back here at 5:45. The show starts tonight at 6:00. Make sure you're dressed properly." Kairi said. "And you guys go on ahead. I need to talk to Tsuyoshi alone. "She finished."

"Alright. Well Then, I'm leaving." Tadashi said. Everyone followed suit.

~~~

"Well then, have you told your friends that you're in the show?" Tsuyoshi asked. He and Kairi were in a small theater.

"Nope." She said, smiling. "They'll just have to be surprised I guess." She shrugged with a fake-innocent look on her face. Tsuyoshi went over to the stereo and turned on some music.

Then they sang together.

~~~

By the time it was over, they were both out of breath from dancing around on the stage.

"You did great, Kairi." Tsuyoshi said between gasps.

"Yeah, but we need to do it without running out of breath!" she was laughing. Then she looked at the clock. It was now 5:00. They had been practicing for about two hours.

"You think we're ready for tonight?" Tsuyoshi asked.

"Definitely." Kairi replied, packing up her bag. "I'd better go find my friends."

"Okay, see ya!" Tsuyoshi said as she ran out the door, waving. I've decided. _Tonight, at the show, I'm going to ask her to be my girlfriend._ He thought.

~End of Chapter 2~


	3. Chapter 3

"So…Kairi. What have you been doing?" Sakura asked when Kairi walked in the door.

"Oh, nothing. Just went for a run." She giggled. "That's why I'm so sweaty." Sakura bought it. They were sitting in their room alone. It was 5:30.

"We should get ready for the show." Sakura said.

"Yeah. We should." Kairi said. "Can I do your hair?" she asked, holding a brush.

~~~

Kairi and Sakura were done getting ready at 6:15. "So, Sakura, you like your hair?" Kairi asked her, showing her a mirror. Sakura's pink locks were all curled and pinned back into an intricate updo. A few strands still remained to frame her face.

"I love it!" She was amazed at it. She had never had anything so fancy done to it.

"That's good." Kairi smiled. "But if you don't, I can change it." She offered.

"No, no. I love it Kairi, really." And she did, and couldn't wait until the boys saw her. "How are you going to do your hair, Kairi?"

"I'm not quite sure." Kairi said, running a brush through her long, red hair. She just began curling a few pieces.

The end product was a wavy head of hair, completely different from her usual straight hair. It was quite luscious. She brushed on some mascara and lip balm. She looked back up at the mirror, satisfied with what she'd completed.

~~~

"Man, where are they?!" Daigo said. He, Tadashi, Sasuke, Naruto, Raido and Kakashi were all waiting in the lobby. They were all dressed in suits. Sasuke was bothered by it, he hated dressing up. They were all waiting for the two girls.

"We're here." Sakura said as she and Kairi walked into the lobby.

"Wow, you guys. You look great." Daigo said.

_And he was just complaining about how late they were…_ Tadashi thought. _But I have to admit it, they do look beautiful._

Sasuke was in a daze looking at Kairi. He couldn't stop himself from staring at her. _She looks more and more beautiful every time I see her._

"Hello! Earth to Sasuke! We're leaving! Jeez, what are you looking at?" Naruto said, waving a hand in front of his face. He blinked a few times.

"Okay, let's head over to the show!" Sakura said excitedly.

~~~

"Well, you guys can head on in without me, okay?" Kairi said, trying to sneak away.

"Why? Aren't you watching too?" Sakura asked. Everyone was kind of shocked.

"Yeah Kairi, why aren't you coming?" Daigo bursted.

"You'll see, but you need to go to your seats before they won't let you in." she said, shooing them away.

"Kairi! You're not even dressed yet?!" It was Tsuyoshi "You need to get ready!" He said, pulling her towards the dressing rooms. Sasuke just stared.

"Aren't you coming?!" Daigo bursted.

"Well, kind of." She said. "I'm in the show."

"What?! You are?!" everyone kind of bursted out together. Kairi just nodded

~~~

"And now, ladies and gentlemen," the host spoke up. "two very loyal and appreciated employees have prepared a special treat for you all. Give it up for Master Tsuyoshi Kuro and Lady Kairi Namikaze!"

Kairi and Tsuyoshi entered on opposite sides of the stage. Kairi was now wearing a floor-length, beautiful, white, strapless dress. She looked breath-takingly beautiful.

Tsuyoshi began the song.

When the song was over, Kairi and Tsuyoshi ended up holding hands and sitting on the steps on the stages. The audience exploded. Stage crew members came on stage and presented a bouquet of flowers to Kairi. She smiled very sweetly.

~At Dinner~

Everyone was sitting at a huge table, eating and discussing the beautiful show. Tsuyoshi grabbed Kairi's hand. He was sitting next to her. Sasuke was sitting on the other side of the table, eyeing Tsuyoshi. As the two got up to leave, there was a clear sign of anger on his face.

~~~

"Tsuyoshi had taken Kairi out onto the deck. They went and sat on the balcony. Then some music started to play, so Tsuyoshi offered Kairi his hand to dance.

"Beautiful night, isn't it?" Tsuyoshi said.

"Yes, it is." Kairi looked up at all the stars in the sky. It really is…

"Kairi." He looked down at her.

"Yes?" She was still distracted by the stars.

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

"Oh!" she said, and she stopped dancing without realizing it. She turned a deep, cherry red. "Tsuyoshi…"

"I know…but I've been thinking about it ever since I met you. You don't have to answer me right away if you don't want to." Tsuyoshi said.

In an effort to deter the attention from her blush, Kairi put her head on his chest.

~~~

Tsuyoshi and Kairi came back into the dining room. Kairi was still blushing. Sasuke was very bothered. He could just tell what was going on by the look on Kairi's face.

_That jerk, Tsuyoshi. I can't stand this._

~~~

As Sakura and Kairi went back into their room, Sakura gave Kairi a suspicious look. They walked in and Kairi immediately went to lie on her bed. She let out a huge sigh. Sakura closed the door behind her.

"So…" Sakura started. "What happened out on the deck?" she was extremely curious.

"Well…Tsuyoshi asked me to be his girlfriend. Kairi said slowly.

"He did?! You have say yes!" _Inner Sakura: If she says yes, Sasuke will be crushed and come crying straight to me! YES!_ Sakura was practically shouting at Kairi.

"Whoa Sakura, I don't know…I mean, I'm not sure I feel for him that way."

"No! Tsuyoshi has probably liked you for a while! You might break his heart!" Sakura shouted again, almost shaking Kairi. She gave Sakura a terrified look. "Oh, sorry…" Sakura stopped.

"I don't want to give him the wrong idea..." Kairi said innocently. Sakura was kind of bummed now.

"Okay, sorry I freaked out a bit."

~~~

Kairi sat up in her bed. She stretched out her arms and yawned. Then she thought of what happened last night. She truly didn't know how she was going to answer him.

"You're finally awake." Sakura said to her, smiling. "It's about quarter to 10."

"Are you serious?!" Kairi jumped out of bed. "Breakfast was served at quarter after 9!" She was now swiftly getting dressed into a semi-fancy kimono and fixing her hair into a bun with flowers in it.

"Why are you wearing that?" Sakura asked.

"Well, part of the deal of me coming here with my guests, was that I help the other maids with checkouts."

"Do you really have to work this morning though?"

"Yeah, Lady Minoko will be upset with me if I don't get my work done before checkout time this morning."

"And Tsuyoshi?"

"Yes, him too."

~~~

Sakura and Kairi came fast-walking into the room. Everyone else was already eating their breakfast, including Tsuyoshi, who was also in his work clothes.

"Good morning, girls." Kakashi said to them both.

"Good morning." Kairi said back with a smile. Tsuyoshi pulled out a chair for her. She now felt obliged to sit there whether she wanted to or not. "Thanks." She sat down.

"Do you have an answer for me, Kairi?" Tsuyoshi got right to the point. Everyone was chatting on their own, but now it was getting quiet. Sasuke just glared. "Let's go out on the deck and talk." He whispered to her.

"Okay." They got up and walked out. Naruto turned to Sasuke.

"Well they seem to be getting along well." Naruto winked at Sasuke and nudged his shoulder. Sasuke glared at Naruto.

"You guys wanna know what happened last night between them?" Sakura asked the group, as soon as they were out of sight.

"What'd he say?" Naruto asked curiously.

"He asked her to be his girlfriend." She said, as if she were gossiping to her best friend. Sasuke's face flushed. "I think she's answering him now."

_I knew it._ Sasuke thought.

~~~

"What?" Tsuyoshi asked as Kairi stood there.

"I need some more time to think Tsuyoshi, I just have a lot on my mind lately."

"I guess you're making sense." He started. Then, all of a sudden, he swiftly reached for Kairi's waist and pushed her to the wall. "Maybe this will make your decision." He said, stroking her chin. Little did they know, that Sasuke was walking by. He almost couldn't even contain himself, but he couldn't look away.

"Tsuyoshi…?" Kairi's voice was quiet as Tsuyoshi gently pressed his soft lips against hers. Sasuke couldn't bear any more, he left silently, brimming with anger.

As they broke apart, Kairi was blushing. "So…what's your decision?" Tsuyoshi asked, his nose and forehead touching hers.

"I-I still don't know…" Kairi was blushing really hard now. She felt awful. The kiss didn't stir anything inside of her. "Can you give me one more day?" Tsuyoshi kissed her on the forehead.

"Of course."

~End of Chapter 3~


	4. Chapter 4

_Ugh…I can't believe this…_ Sasuke walked into his room, slammed the door, and sat on his bed in a huff. He held his head in his hands. _I'm so much of a coward that I wasn't even brave enough to stay…_

~~~

As they walked back into the dining room, everyone had already left to go to the spa. "Well, I guess we'd better get to work." Kairi said. They started to clear dishes from all the tables. Kairi was washing them when she noticed a man sitting at one of the tables.

"Oh, Tsuyoshi, you finish here, I'm going to go take his order." Kairi whispered, handing a half-washed plate to him. She grabbed a pen and paper and walked gracefully over to the table. She observed what the man looked like and she couldn't see much. He had a jacket that covered most of his face, but looked to be pretty young. He didn't move when she stopped at the table.

"Can I get you something?" She asked lightly. She almost felt a little afraid of him. What's with this guy…? "Sir-"

All of a sudden, the man grabbed her left wrist forcefully. Kairi gasped.

"Um…sir, please l-let go." Kairi struggled in his grip. Then, his piercing eyes looked into her fear-filled ones. She shuddered and finally freed her wrist with a yank. She backed off slowly.

"My brother has good taste…" The man said, looking at Kairi with a devilish grin. Then he all of a sudden disappeared in a puff of smoke. Kairi was in shock. She fell to her knees, shaking. Looking at her slightly bruised wrist, she touched it gingerly. _What the hell was that…? Who was he, and more importantly…what was he talking about…?_ Then, someone grabbed her wrist, and by instinct, Kairi threw her hand. "No!" She screamed, not even looking to see who it was.

"Kairi…?" Tsuyoshi asked hesitantly as he watched her shudder. Kairi gasped.

"Tsuyoshi? Oh, I'm so sorry…I-" He suddenly lowered himself to gently hug her.

"What happened, Kairi?" He asked.

~~~

"Well, just forget about him. He was probably just messing around with you." Tsuyoshi said to Kairi as they walked up some stairs with piles of clean towels in hand. Kairi sighed.

"Yeah…you're probably right."

_"My brother has good taste."_ The voice still rang through her head.

"Okay." Kairi said and started walking up the stairs. When she got to the top of the stairs, it seemed way too quiet. She looked around. There were no lights on, but it was sunny outside, so there was some light showing.

As she walked from room to room, putting new, clean towels in them, she noticed that none of the rooms had any clients in them. It wasn't too weird because it was after the Cherry Blossom Festival time, but still…something just seemed wrong.

"Ah…finally done with this floor." She said, relieved. _And I can get out of here…_ She started down the hallway to the stairs, but she stopped short. _Someone's coming…_ She backed up a little, starting to sweat. As they rounded the corner, she was about to freak out, but it was only Tsuyoshi. She sighed with complete relief.

"Wow, you look like you've seen a ghost. What's wrong?" He asked.

"Oh, nothing." Kairi smiled.

"Well, come on! We have to go fold some robes!"

They walked to the laundry room.

~~~

"Oh my god, there's so much!" Kairi said as they stood in front of a mountain of robes and towels.

"At least they're clean." Tsuyoshi said, chuckling.

"Heh heh, you're right." Kairi smiled.

"I'll be right back." He said "We're going to need more baskets." He laughed.

"Okay!" Kairi laughed.

~~~

When Tsuyoshi came back in the room, he rushed over to Kairi and not-so-gently pushed her down on her back, and grabbed both of her wrists.

"Tsuyoshi…?" Kairi asked, horrified at what was happening.

He leaned forward to put his lips on her ear.

"I can't wait any longer Kairi." He said, and his lips came crashing down on hers. She struggled to free herself.

_What the hell?!_ "Tsuyoshi! Get off!" With the rest of her body restrained by his masculine figure, she managed to free her lips momentarily. Her eyes were full of tears, but he just looked at her mercilessly.

Then someone grabbed Tsuyoshi by the back of his kimono and threw him into the wall.

Kairi opened her eyes to look at who had just saved her. _Tsuyoshi?! But how?!_ Then there was a puff of smoke and a man appeared._*Gasp* That's the guy from earlier!_

"Long time no see…Takuto Kuro…" Tsuyoshi said. Kairi jerked to look over in the man's direction, he was no longer wearing the big black coat. _He's Tsuyoshi's brother…?_

"How's my baby brother?" Takuto asked playfully, with a devilish smirk on his face.

"It's been better since you've gone, Takuto." Tsuyoshi sassed.

_What is going on?_ Kairi tried to keep up with what was happening.

"Aww, no Takuto-onii-san? I'm hurt." He said with a fake pout.

"Well, after you murdered our parents and deserted the village, it's hard to be your "loving little brother" anymore." Tsuyoshi said very sarcastically. Kairi's eyes got wide.

"Well it seems you have a new taste now." Takuto said, jerking his head in Kairi's direction. He licked his lower lip. "She's very cute, little brother." He suddenly appeared behind Tsuyoshi, right next to Kairi. _He's gotten stonger…_ Tsuyoshi thought.

Kairi was stunned by how fast he was. He stroked her cheek. "I think you're mine now, Miss Kairi."

She shuddered at the sound of him saying her name. "No!" She smacked him across the face, leaving a clear red mark.

"If I have to force you, then so be it." He face became serious as he clenched Kairi's neck with his fist. He threw her with full-force out one of the huge windows.

"Kairi!" Tsuyoshi screamed out, no longer frozen. Takuto had already jumped down as he scrambled to follow.

After smacking her head on her way out the window, Kairi was knocked out cold and falling fast towards the huge pool below.

"You better hurry up brother. I bet she won't last long under there." Takuto landed by the pool as Kairi crashed into it. Tsuyoshi prepared to dive.

Attention was starting to draw to the scene. This pool was unused, so it wasn't expected. Takuto thought it best to leave. Then, Tsuyoshi surfaced the water with Kairi in his arms. He glared at his brother.

"I'll be back for her, and you won't be there to protect her next time, brother." Takuto said ominously, disappearing in a puff of smoke. Tsuyoshi just glared. Then he turned to Kairi, limp in his arms. He climbed out of the pool and set her down gently next to it. She was out cold. Her once beautifully pieced hair was now loose and hanging down, flowers shredded. Tsuyoshi slowly tilted her chin to the side, causing her to make an agonized face, to discover her neck to be covered in bruises and cuts. There were clear marks where Takuto's fingers were. He clenched his teeth. _Why the hell is he after you…?_

~~~

Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Daigo and Tadashi were walking out of the building where the spa was and were heading towards the main lobby for lunch. They were all ecstatic and rejuvenated.

"That felt great!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Yeah! I feel so good now!" Naruto agreed. Sasuke was still pretty shook up about his earlier experience, it was still running through his head over and over.

"There you all are." Kakashi showed up in front of them all.

"What are you doing, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

"It's Kairi." Kakashi said.

Sasuke froze. Fear and anger began to slowly well inside of him. _That Tsuyoshi…what the hell did he do?!_ He took off to Kairi's room.

"Wait, Sasuke!" Kakashi shouted, but he knew it was no use. "I'll explain on the way." With no questions asked, everyone moved hastily to the room.

~~~

Sasuke burst into Kairi's room where Tsuyoshi sat on the edge of a bed where Kairi was out cold, holding her cold hand.

"You…what have you done?!" He burst out, grabbing Tsuyoshi by his collar.

"Put me down!" Sasuke unwillingly let Tsuyoshi down. Clenching his fists. He barely even moved when the rest came in.

"What happened to her?!" Daigo burst out, rushing to the bedside. Tsuyoshi still didn't look up.

"It was my brother…" He growled, still leaving a lingering glare at Sasuke. "I don't know why…but he's after her." He turned and put a hand on Kairi's cheek. Kakashi and Raido listened intently.

"Who's your brother, Tsuyoshi?" Sakura asked. Tsuyoshi hesitated and clenched his teeth again.

"Takuto Kuro." He answered. Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, I remember him. He's that S-Ranked criminal." Kakashi stated.

"Whoa, what?! What'd he do?!" Naruto asked frantically. Kakashi looked at Tsuyoshi with a hesitant look, wondering if he should answer.

"He-" Kakashi was cut off.

"He killed our parents." Tsuyoshi said. Everyone looked at him. The look on his face was so full of hate, it filled the room with an eerie aura. Sasuke was the most shocked. "I'm going to get water for Kairi." He got up and walked out of the room.

"It's a touchy subject, I see…" Raido said, sighing.

"I wonder what happened between those two." Sakura said, as she looked over at Kairi. "Why in the world would Tsuyoshi's brother be after Kairi-san?"

"I don't know, but I won't let him come near her again." Daigo said, with a determined look on his face.

_Brave, Daigo._ Kakashi thought somewhat sarcastically. _But I really am curious as to why he's after Kairi._

Kairi began to move. Her eyes fluttered. "What…what's going on? Where am I?" She slowly tried to sit up, and fell back a bit when she strained her neck.

"Slowly, slowly." Kakashi said, helping her sit up properly. "You've been bruised pretty badly." He said, referring to her neck.

"Where's…" Kairi looked around the room to see everyone looking at her worriedly. "…Tsuyoshi?" He was missing from the group.

Sasuke was in deep turmoil. _I can't stay here with her calling his name…_ He got up and began to walk out of the room.

"Where are you going?!" Naruto said with frustration. Sasuke ignored him.

"Sasuke, please don't leave…" Kairi pleaded quietly, in total confusion of his obvious anger.

"I need some air." Sasuke said coldly, walking out of the room. He walked down the hallway, it wasn't busy.

~~~

_What the hell is wrong with me…_ Sasuke thought. Her voice was just ringing through his head. _"Sasuke, please don't leave…"_ He held his head in his hands.

"Sasuke?" Tsuyoshi stood in front of him with a bottle of water in his hand. "Why are you leaving, shouldn't you be in there?" He gestured towards the door to Kairi's room. Sasuke just completely ignored him and slowly just walked past him. "Hey! What the hell is your problem?! It's obvious that you care about her."

Sasuke stopped. _You are my problem, you ass._ "It's none of your business. So just leave me alone. You know nothing about her or me." He walked away.

"What the hell…?" Tsuyoshi continued back to the room.

~~~

"Ouch!" Kairi complained as Kakashi tended to her cuts on her neck.

"Stop moving, if you make me miss the cuts, I could accidentally cut a major artery, and you could die." He said with a straight face. She immediately stopped moving.

"Jeez, that Takuto guy was really a big jerk!" Naruto said. Kairi smiled at his outburst. She was happy to be around Naruto. She took a glance at the door.

_I wonder why Sasuke just got up and left…he's been kind of off since yesterday…_ she wondered.

"Yes, we'll be checking out early, I think we've had enough excitement for this trip." Kairi overheard Kakashi talking to someone outside the room.

"Yes sir, I will send for someone to deliver you back immediately." Someone replied.

Kakashi walked into the room. "Hey guys, we're going home."

~End of Chapter 4~


	5. Chapter 5

Kairi limped down the hallway with Naruto helping her along to meet the others at the carriage.

"This is such a beautiful place, you're so lucky you work with a company like this." Naruto said with a huge smile. Kairi smiled too.

Tuned out, Kairi noticed Sasuke standing out on a balcony along the hallway. _I need to talk to him…I want to know what he's thinking about…_ "Hey Naruto, I need to use the bathroom before we leave, so I'll meet you at the carriages."

"Are you sure you can get there yourself? I can get Sakura if you need me to." Naruto asked, gently letting her arm off his shoulders.

"Yeah." She said with a smile.

As soon as he was out of sight, she started making her way to the balcony.

"Where are you going without saying goodbye?" Tsuyoshi stopped her by the arm, and swiftly pulled her into a hug.

"Kairi." He pulled her chin up to look in her eyes. "Do you have an answer for me?" He asked softly.

She looked at him with a look of almost guilt. "Tsuyoshi…you've been my very close friend for so long…and I really like you, but I don't think I can feel that way for you…" She said, looking away from him. She couldn't look at the heartbroken look on his face.

"I understand…" He looked down. "It was good seeing you…" Kairi watched him turn to leave.

He suddenly turned back, with determined eyes. "I won't give up, you know. I'll work harder to become a stronger man." Then, he was gone.

_Tsuyoshi…I'm sorry…you're just not the guy I'm falling for…_

"What was that about?" Kairi turned to see Sasuke walking in from the balcony with his usual cool vibe.

"As you probably already know," Kairi pictured Sakura gossiping to the others. "he was asking me to be his girlfriend…" Kairi said slowly.

_Again? That's odd, did she say no the first time? What's more odd, why do I care so much?_ Sasuke thought, having some inner turmoil. He looked at her. "Really?" He was very curious now, but he tried to act unsuspicious.

"I turned him down." Kairi said with a sad smile. "He's so serious about me, and I didn't want to lead him on in any way. I'm also going to quit working here too."

Sasuke was surprised. "You are?" _Good, no more Tsuyoshi jerk-face._

"Yeah. I need to start focusing more on becoming a strong shinobi."

"Kairi…" Sasuke couldn't stop himself.

"Yeah, Sasuke-kun?"

"Do you have someone you like?"

Kairi blushed. _I knew he could read me._ "Yeah, I think I do." She smiled a little, as she plucked a small flower and twiddled it in her hand.

Sasuke seemed surprised. _I don't know why, but that feels like a relief to me._ He thought.

"What about you Sasuke-kun, do you like somebody?" Kairi said with a small smile.

Sasuke was about to answer, but he didn't have time to think about it.

"What are you two doing?! It's time to leave!" Naruto shouted to them.

Kairi looked back at Sasuke. "Another time, Sasuke." She said with a sweet smile.

"Yeah. Another time." And for the first time in a long time, Sasuke smiled.

"Whoa, Sasuke, it's been awhile since I've seen a smile from you!" Kairi said to him. He blushed and became pretty embarrassed. "You should do it more often." She laughed.

_What is this feeling in my chest…?_ Sasuke wondered. "Yeah, I think I will." _For you, Kairi._

~~~

Kairi laid in bed and slept in. She finally woke up and realized it was almost 10:30. _Gosh, I've really slept in today._ She groggily walked to her balcony and looked out at the view. She threw her arms out. "Ah…I love the sunlight." She said out loud, smiling.

A small bird landed on her balcony. It was a little blackbird.

"Well, hey there little one." She smiled. She then noticed a small folded up piece of paper attached to a small canister on its leg. "What do you have there, little guy?"

_Kairi, we have a mission briefing with Lord Hokage at 12 sharp. ~Raido-sensei_

Kairi stroked the small bird on the head and let it fly away. She turned to her dresser, where there was a few pictures sitting. She picked up one of her and Sasuke when they were younger. It was a picture of Kairi holding a frog and Sasuke making a face at it.

_"Hey Kairi-chan!" A much-younger Sasuke shouted as he ran up to a much-younger Kairi._

"Sasuke-kun! Look at what I caught!" Kairi held up a small frog to Sasuke's face. He turned red and smacked the frog away.

"Ah! That thing almost ate my face!" He said, with a scared-angry look on his face.

Kairi laughed. "Is Sasuke-kun afraid of frogs?"

Sasuke blushed and made an indignant face. "No, I am not!" As Kairi laughed, Sasuke joined in.

Kairi smiled at the picture, and set it back down. _I think I might ask Sasuke to lunch._

~~~

"Hey Kairi-chan!" Daigo was standing in front of her apartment building.

_He was waiting for me…?_ Kairi smiled. "Hey! Ready to go meet Raido-sensei?"

"Yup!" He smiled as she did.

~~~

"Lord Hokage, what is our mission?" Raido said, bowing his head.

Kairi, Tadashi and Daigo stood right behind Raido.

"Well, because I just issued a mission to team Kakashi, so I think I'll give you one similar to it. It's a C-Rank mission." the Hokage concluded.

Raido was somewhat shocked. "What is the mission, sir?"

"I just want you to transport a document to the Hidden Village of Grass. It's a very peaceful place, so I doubt you'll encounter any problems. Can you handle this task?"

"Yes sir, we can do this." Raido said. "I have full belief in my team. Right guys?!"

"Yeah!" Daigo and Kairi replied in unison. Tadashi just smirked in agreement.

"Okay, here are the documents."

~~~

"Wow! I can't believe we got a C-Rank mission!" Kairi said, with a huge smile. She, Daigo, Tadashi, and Raido were walking out of the village with their packs.

"Raido-sensei, how far away is the Village Hidden in the Grass?" Kairi asked.

"About a day and a half walking time." Raido answered. "We'll camp out at sunset and arrive there tomorrow."

"That's such a long way!" Daigo huffed and whined.

~~~

"Can we please take a break sensei? I'm starving!" Daigo said, holding his stomach.

"Oh come on Daigo, we're barely a quarter of the way there!" Kairi said, with a somewhat annoyed tone. "You've been complaining literally the ENTIRE time…"

"But we've been walking for hours! It's already the afternoon and I haven't eaten since breakfast!"

"We'll stop and refuel." Raido said, giving in to Daigo's complaining. "Quickly." He shot a referring look at Daigo.

Everyone sat in their own spots in a small meadow they had come across. Of course, Daigo made his way to sit by Kairi.

"What did you pack for lunch, Kairi-chan?" He asked very enthusiastically, sitting right next to her.

"A couple rice balls and some ramen noodles." She said.

"Wow, that's all?" He was kind of surprised. Normally Kairi eats enough for 2 or 3 people.

"Well I didn't want to overeat, I'd get tired for the rest of the day!" She said as she took a bite of a rice ball. Daigo took notice to the snack.

"My mother makes amazing rice balls! I should bring some for you to try sometime."

"Well sure! I'd really like that."

"Does your mother make anything special for you, Kairi-chan?"

Kairi's look kind of fell. "Nothing really." She tried avoiding the subject of her family. With a confused and disappointed look on his face, he gave up on the subject.

"Oh, well that's too bad."

"What's your family like Daigo?" Kairi tried to lighten the mood just a bit.

"My father is the only shinobi other than me in my family, and he's an elite jonin. He and Tadashi's father were partners since they went to the academy together." Daigo looked over at Tadashi, who wasn't paying attention. He looked almost depressed.

"He has friends and an honorable father, what's the matter with him?" Kairi said in reply.

"Tadashi's father is dead Kairi." Daigo said, bluntly.

Kairi gasped. "What...what do you mean...?"

"No one knows who did it. It was when Tadashi was only 5 years old..."

"So that's why he's been so solitary."

"He and his dad were extremely close, because he doesn't have any other siblings. To make it worse, his mom got paralyzed from the legs down a few years later."

Kairi looked over at Tadashi with a very understanding look in her eyes. _Poor Tadashi...I guess he does have a reason to be the way he is...he's probably so lonely..._

"As for me, I've had it so much easier, I just wish I had more natural ability than I do. My family seems to have a bloodline with less chakra than most of the other families. I'm not part of any huge clan, so I don't have any special kekkai-genkai either." Daigo became somewhat depressed, but his expression changed dramatically. "I still won't ever give up. I will become a great ninja!" A smile grew on his face.

_His determination never fails._ Kairi thought with a smile to match his.

"Okay you three, it's time to take off. We still have a few hours of walking to do." Raido said, packing up his bag. Tadashi had already started following Raido when Daigo and Kairi stood up.

"Kairi, can you come up here? I'd like to talk to you for a minute about one of your ninjutsu." Raido had turned around to ask.

"Yes, Raido-sensei." Kairi smiled and walked up to her sensei.

As Kairi walked up to Raido, Daigo walked over to Tadashi.

"What's up, Tadashi?" He asked, casually.

"Nothing much." Tadashi answered with friendly but cool, careless edge.

"Hey Tadashi, how's your mother been lately?" Daigo asked with a seemingly strong curiosity.

Tadashi immediately stopped walking and stopped Daigo with a fist on his chest. "What's with the sudden curiosity about my mother?" He asked, sternly.

"Hey, calm down, I just-"

"You just nothing. Seriously, why do you ask?" Tadashi's face was very stern.

"Well I-"

"You were talking to Kairi about me, weren't you?"

Daigo gasped. "Y-yeah..." He put his hands up, thinking he may get punched.

Tadashi slowly continued walking. "So...why were you talking about me?"

"Well I just thought that maybe we could all try and get closer! So I talked about our pasts, although I didn't find out much about hers."

"You mean you don't already know...?"

"Well no, what's her family like?"

"She doesn't have one, you doofus."

This time Daigo was extremely shocked. He looked ahead of himself at Kairi, who was laughing and talking with Raido. _Kairi...just what kind of life have you had...?_

"I don't know a whole lot about her, but awhile ago I heard about her from my mother speaking with the Hokage at a meeting. Her parents died when she was born." Tadashi had a somewhat troubled look on his face. "Honestly, I don't know how she puts on such a face..." Tadashi said, picturing Kairi's sweet smile. "But Daigo, you can't tell anyone anything...it's forbidden to talk about."

"What? Why is tha-"

"Hey guys! What's up? Why those awful looks?" Kairi had appeared right in front of them, walking backwards in step.

"Oh, Kairi!" Daigo said with a guilty-surprised look on his face. _When did she...?_

"Daigo wants me to help him with his ninjutsu skills tonight." Tadashi said, with a very calm and cool attitude.

_Nice save, Tadashi._ Daigo nodded.

Kairi laughed. "Well that sounds fun." She said with a sarcastic edge.

~End of Chapter 5~


	6. Chapter 6

It was starting to become dark, and Raido stopped walking.

"Alright guys, I think it's time to make camp before it gets dark." Raido said, halting the others.

Kairi took off her pack and laid out her sleeping bag.

"Kairi, Daigo, you two will need to stay here and set up a perimeter while Tadashi and I go catch some fish to eat." Raido said with Tadashi by his side.

"Yes sensei!" Kairi said, getting out the other sleeping bags.

Daigo watched as the two walked away, and then turned back to Kairi, who was busily unfolding the sleeping bags.

_There's no way I can ask her about her past without completely upsetting her..._ Daigo thought.

"I'm gunna use the can!" Daigo stated awkwardly, with a large, goofy smile.

"Um, okay?" Kairi smiled a let out a little laugh.

Daigo blushed and walked away.

Kairi sat there for a moment. _I really hope he hurries back, I hate being alone, especially in this creepy forest!_

Kairi suddenly got the sense of not being alone.

"D-daigo..?" she asked, pulling out a kunai knife.

_"All alone this time, Kairi?"_ a voice came from the shadows. Kairi shuddered.

_That voice..._ "Come out and show yourself!" Kairi shouted into the air, but nothing happened.

_"Soon enough, we'll meet."_ the voice came again, and Kairi shuddered once more.

"Come out! Right now!" Kairi shouted again, and began shaking. _What the hell is he doing here?!_

"Kairi? What are you doing?" Raido had returned with Tsuyoshi, they hadn't found a river, but brought back some firewood.

"I thought I heard something…" Kairi slowly put away her knife.

"We heard you scream, we thought something was attacking you." Tadashi said to her.

"No," Kairi laughed a little, trying to put her experience behind her. "I just got a little jumpy." _I hope that was just my imagination…_

~~~

_I could swear there's somebody watching me…_ Paranoia swept over Kairi. She could feel a cold shiver down her spine. Daigo was busy making the fire larger.

"Are you even listening?" Kairi finally noticed Daigo's voice.

"Y-yes. Sorry, I remembered that I forgot to turn my kettle off before we left." She lied.

"Well try and focus," he laughed. "because it's a bit late to take care of that." She laughed and quickly regrew a worried look on her face.

"Hey, what's the matter?" He was genuinely concerned about her. "And don't say it's the kettle." He gave her a skeptical look. She hesitated.

"I just have a bad feeling." She ran her fingers across the bruises on her neck gingerly, and she flinched.

"You'll be okay, don't worry. You've got Raido-sensei, Tadashi, and me. Besides, that guy is long gone." Kairi was very hopeful that his words were true.

_Maybe he's right, I'm probably just being paranoid._ She took a deep breath and let out a sigh, and helped Daigo gather some twigs nearby to stoke the fire.

~~~

_"You thought you could get away from me? Heh heh heh…."_

Kairi snapped awake, breathing hard. She looked around frantically. _God…that felt so real…_ She put her head in her hands.

She looked up again, Daigo was snoring loudly, while Tadashi slept silently. She moved a little closer to Daigo's back, who was closer to her. She liked that he tried to comfort her earlier, but she still felt a bit uneasy. She stared up into the sky.

_I wonder how Sasuke is doing on his mission._ She noticed Daigo stir beside her.

"Kairi?" He asked, groggily. "Why are you awake?" He couldn't even keep his eyes open. Kairi smiled. Reaching her hand over, she touched his face. He slowly shut his eyes again, and was soon sleeping once more. Kairi sat up.

_I can't sleep. It'll be morning soon, I'll just go for a run._ She tightened up her shoes and took off.

~~~

Kairi sat on a large boulder, huffing. She liked running. It felt good. It made her forget things and feel safer. There was a large cliff about 20 feet from her, with a large, rushing river about 200 feet down. The sound of the water was calming her. She crossed her legs and made her hand sign to meditate.

She was soon lost in her own mind.

~~~

"Well, don't you look comfortable." Her eyes flew open, and before she could even comprehend it, Takuto's hand was around her throat. "You know, you really are horrible at keeping your guard up, silly little Kairi."

Kairi couldn't get any words out, she was so shocked.

"But you know what the best part is about all of this?" He leaned in and touched his mouth to her ear, making her shiver. "You have no one here to protect you this time." And with that, he crushed his hand around her neck and slammed her into the ground.

"I don't…get it." Kairi slipped out, nearly inaudibly. "What do you want with me?"

Takuto laughed. "Oh Kairi, dear. You have something that I need. There's a high bounty on your capture." Kairi gave him a very confused look.

"There's a…what?"

"Oh? You didn't know? Well, there's someone with higher power who want the secret of your chakra and technique abilities."

_What on earth is he talking about…?_

"Now if you'll just come quietly, I'll get my reward, and everything will go over peacefully. Should you choose to continue to give me a hard time, I'll be forced to use more…forward techniques." Kairi just stared at him, her heart pounding. His grip on her neck continued to tighten.

_I need to think fast. I can't take this guy…he's way too strong._  
Kairi distracted him momentarily, touching his face with her hand. "I'll go with you…"

"Now that's being more reasonable." Takuto grinned, letting go of Kairi's neck.

_It's working._ She bolted out from underneath him and took off for the woods.

"So that's how it's gonna be." Takuto huffed. _She's extremely fast, but I'm faster._

~~~

Kairi didn't make it very far before Takuto appeared before her. "Not fast enough, dear."

She stopped in her tracks and threw a few shuriken from her holster. He dodged them very easily. They began to spar.

~~~

Kairi collapsed to the ground on her knees. She was in rough shape. Takuto, on the other hand, was unharmed, and completely ready to keep fighting.  
"Come on Kairi! Show me that technique! I know it's in you!" Takuto made a hand sign.

_Shit, that hand sign._ Kairi hurriedly did her own hand sign.

_Yes, that's right Kairi, use the jutsu._ Takuto licked his lips.

_Wind Style: Dragon Rain Jutsu!_ Suddenly, chakra exploded out of Kairi.

~~~

_"Kairi, this jutsu is something I'm going to teach especially to you. You will be one of the only ones in the shinobi world to know this jutsu." The Third Hokage said to her._

"But, am I ready for this?" a 10 year old Kairi asked him.

"Your mother wanted to teach you this jutsu, Kairi."

"She did? Really?" she got a happy look on her face and was ready to learn.

"But Kairi, don't ever forget, you must promise me this."

"What is it?"

"You must never use this jutsu unless you are fighting for your or a precious one's life."

"Yes sir."

~~~

_Here we go! Finally!_ Takuto thought, watching Kairi do her jutsu.

Kairi began to appear in different places at once, all around Takuto. In every place she appeared she threw kunai knifes.

"Ha! This is too easy!" Takuto said, attempting to dodge the kunai coming at him. He suddenly realized that he couldn't move. _What?! What is this?!_

"Having some trouble?" Kairi asked, snickering. "See, the thing about this jutsu, is that you can't escape. My chakra has bound you to the middle of my trajectory, the Dragon's point."

Takuto was hit by all of the kunai at once. "Agh!" He wasn't able to dodge any of them. _Shit! I thought I could stop them!_

"You've underestimated me, Mr. Takuto." Kairi said, as she kept appearing and throwing more kunai.

_Shit! At this rate, I'm in trouble!_ Takuto was taking in a lot of damage.

"And now, for the final blow!" Kairi shouted. She appeared next to him and kicked him upwards. Then, when he was in the air, she smashed her foot into his face. His face slammed into the ground.

~~~

"Kairi!" Daigo shouted out. He, Tadashi and Raido appeared next to her. Daigo gasped when he saw Takuto laying on the ground. "What's he doing here?!"

"He was after me again…but I've taken care of it." Kairi said to him, holding her limp arm, she looked over at Takuto's unmoving body.

"Is he…dead?" Daigo asked.

"No. Just out cold. We need to do something about him."

"We need to do something about you! You're bleeding really badly!" Daigo exclaimed, looking at her beaten body. He noticed her holding her left arm.

"What's this?" He touched her arm, she winced.

"Ouch!" She cried out.

"I think…it's broken." Daigo said, feeling the swelling in her arm.

"Shit…" Kairi knew he was probably right. She remembered Takuto holding her arm behind her with some incredible force.

Raido looked over at Takuto's body. _Kairi did that? This guy is an S-ranked criminal, and he was taken down by a mere Genin?_ He looked back over at Kairi. _Just what kind of powers do you possess, young Kairi?_

"Get Kairi back to camp so you can tend to her wounds. I'll take care of him." Raido said, motioning to Takuto.

"Yes, sensei." Daigo and Tadashi said.

Tadashi walked to Kairi.

"Come on, I'll help you walk." He said, offering his arm to her. Just as she reached out to take it, she spat out something red.

~End of Chapter 6~


	7. Chapter 7

"No!" Daigo shouted.

Takuto had planted a sword through Kairi's abdomen. She could not even collapse to her knees because the sword was holding her body up by the ribcage.

"Heh heh…I am not so easily beaten." Takuto said with a look on his face of pure evil. He shoved the sword, with Kairi, over the huge cliff next to them.

"No! Godammit!" Tadashi launched a powerful kick at him to throw him backwards.

"Kairi! No!" Daigo dashed for the cliff and dove off the edge.

"Daigo, no! What are you doing?!" Raido yelled as he ran to edge.

"Not so fast, Mr. sensei." Takuto appeared next to him. Raido dodged his attack. "You have me to worry about." Takuto was completely covered in wounds, and yet could still maneuver perfectly.

_Shit!_ Raido pulled out Kokuto, his sword. It was a katana covered with poison. He lunged at Takuto with it.

~~~

Kairi was plunging to the fierce rapids below her, katana still deep within her abdomen. She was struggling to pull it out.

_Damn it…it's so deep…I feel so weak…_ Kairi felt her eyes going in and out of darkness. _What is that…?_ She could hear someone distantly calling her name.

"Kairi! Let go!"

_D-daigo…?_ Kairi opened her eyes. She didn't realize she had her hands latched onto the sword. Daigo was trying to pull it out of her. She released her grip, and Daigo quickly jolted the sword out, as painlessly as he could.

"Agh!" Kairi clutched the open wound with her good arm. She looked down to the water that was speeding closer to her. Then she looked over to Daigo, who was racing toward the water too. "Oh no! Daigo, look out!" she screamed to him, noticing some rocks protruding from the cliff.

Daigo was not quick enough to notice and smacked right into them, knocking him completely out cold.

_Shit!_ Kairi noticed that there was a ledge to the side of the water, and she and Daigo's trajectory was headed approximately toward it. She braced herself for impact.

~~~

Raido clashed his sword against Takuto's double blades.

"You think you can beat me, huh?!" Takuto was obviously frazzled at this point, and Raido was not really exerting an extreme amount of energy.

"Just give it up, Takuto, you know you're not able to beat me." Raido had been trying to reason with him, to get him to give up and come back to Konoha quietly. "It doesn't have to be this way."

"Shut up!" Takuto had completely lost his composure. "You have no idea! I have to get Kairi!"

"No you don't! There is no reason!"

"He has to have the secret of her ability! Or else-" He cut himself off. His face went blank. Then, Raido caught him off guard and launched him a few hundred feet with a very powerful kick. Takuto landed and coughed up a bit of blood.

"Or else what?" Raido firmly demanded, holding his sword to Takuto's neck. He kicked both of Takuto's blades away from his reach. "Answer me!"

"Or else he'll kill my brother!" he shouted, tears began forming in his eyes.

_This guy…can't be any older than 17 or 18…what on earth could be making him act this way? He's the same guy from the Spa, and was after Kairi then, too._ Raido let his sword fall away from Takuto's neck.

"What do you mean?" Raido demanded again.

"The man I'm working for…"

"Tell me details! Now!"

He remained silent.

"Unless you want to die!" He pressed the edge of the blade on Takuto's neck again. "I can't help you unless I know more!"

"I don't want your help! I can take care of my brother myself!"

"Who could possibly have this much power over you?!" Raido was yelling now.

"You would never understand! He killed my family! He blamed it on me! He threatened the life of my brother so that I would work for him! He promised to keep him safe from all harm! If I don't carry through on this mission, he'll kill both of us!" Takuto was seething anger. He used all of the strength in his legs to throw Raido across the field with an incredible kick.

~~~

Kairi slowly opened her eyes, wincing with pain. She had landed on a patch of grass that padded her fall. Everything around her was blurry, and she couldn't tell how badly she was hurt.

_Where's Daigo?!_ Kairi panicked. She looked around, and saw no sign of him. Then it was obvious. _He fell in the god damn river! But I can't move!_ Kairi struggled to get her legs to cooperate with her, they felt like they weren't attached to her body. _Damn it! Move!_ She forced her body upright, holding her arm again. She looked around frantically in the river. _Where is he?!_

"You can't possibly be thinking of going in there!" Tadashi appeared next to her and helped her stand straight.

"I have to! Tadashi, he saved my life!" And without warning, she wriggled out of Tadashi's grip and plunged herself into the rapidly moving waters.

~~~

"No more talk! I'm ending this now!" He shouted as he ran after Raido with both blades in hand.

_He's getting sloppy. I have to end this and help Kairi._ Raido appeared next to Takuto and plunged Kokuto through his chest.

~~~

Kairi swam for her life in the fast-moving waters. _Where is he?_ She tried to look around, but the water was moving so fast that her head wouldn't turn correctly. _I'll have to use the last bit of my chakra to sense his…_

Letting herself sink into the water, she put her hands together and focused her chakra. _There!_ She used all of her energy to move towards Daigo.

~~~

"I guess..." Takuto coughed up a significant amount of blood. "…I guess…I couldn't stay alive to protect you…brother…"

_"Tsuyoshi! Come on! We have to go!" Takuto called out to his little brother who was playing in the river._

"Coming, Takuto-oniisan!" Tsuyoshi laughed and picked up a handful of small rocks and shoved them in his pocket. He dashed after his older brother. "Wait up!"

"I'm waiting, I'm waiting!" Takuto stopped walking. He looked ahead of himself at their home. Their mother was outside picking vegetables from their garden while they father was in the doorway talking to her. They were laughing about something.

"Look what I found, brother!" Tsuyoshi held out the rocks he'd picked up earlier.

"Wow! What treasures you have there!" Takuto patted his head.

"Hey brother, will we always be friends?"

"What on earth do you mean? Of course we will!"

"But what if someday I make you so mad you won't like me anymore…?"

"That's ridiculous. I will always be your brother, and I will always be your friend when no one else will be…"

Takuto's eyes slowly went gray and blank.

~~~

"Tadashi! Where is she?!" Raido appeared next to Tadashi down on the ledge.

"I couldn't stop her! She jumped in after Daigo!" Tadashi was still floored.

"Why didn't Daigo save himself?!"

"Because he was knocked out cold by a rock!"

"Godammit, where the hell did they go?!"

"There!" Tadashi pointed downstream where Kairi had pulled Daigo onto the ledge.

~~~

"Daigo! Daigo wake up!" Kairi was shaking his body. She put his head against his chest. _Shit! His heart's not beating!_ Kairi swiftly undid his coat to expose his bare chest. She began to perform CPR.

_I need to do something to electrically shock his heart. This isn't enough._ Kairi knew exactly what to do. _Lightning Style: Electric shock!_ She put both of her hands to his chest. His body jolted, but nothing more happened. Kairi tried again and again, but nothing was happening. "No! Dammit all, Daigo! Wake up!" Kairi had tears streaming down her face.

On the fifth shock, Kairi finally let her head fall to Daigo's chest in defeat. She was sobbing now. _Ba-dump. Ba-dump._

"Daigo!" She shouted. _His heart is beating again!_ She immediately started mouth-to-mouth.

Daigo's eyes flew open, and he began coughing and gasping.

"K-Kairi?" Daigo looked at her, he was laying in her right arm. "Wha-…what happened?"

"Oh…" Kairi's eyes welled up with tears again. "Daigo!" She buried her head into his chest. He's alive! Thank god he's alive!

"I don't know if I was just dreaming or not, but were you kissing me?!" Daigo was completely confused. Kairi chuckled, but soon coughed up blood. "Kairi! You're hurt!" Daigo's eyes went wide looking at the gaping wound in her stomach, not to mention all of the wounds all over her body.

"Daigo! Are you okay?" yelled Tadashi. He and Raido appeared next to Daigo's head and immediately began tending to both of their wounds.

"I'm just…glad…" Kairi began to falter. "You're okay…" and she collapsed onto the ground, out cold.

~~~

Kairi's eyes fluttered open. _Wh-where am I…?_ She was in somebody's arms. They were carrying her somewhere.

"So, you're finally awake, huh? It's about time, I was beginning to worry that you were never waking up."

"Hey Tadashi." Kairi's voice was weak. "What's going on?"

"Hey, don't move, you're hurt pretty badly." He tightened his grip around her shoulders. "We're on our way back to Konoha."

"We are? What about…" She pictured Takuto's face. "What about Takuto…?"

"He's dead, Kairi. Raido-sensei took care of it."

Kairi felt it hard to keep her eyes open, so she rested her head back against Tadashi's chest. "Where is Raido-sensei?"

"He went to finish the mission. We're taking you back right now to get you medical attention." By the time Tadashi had finished this sentence, Kairi had already fallen back out of consciousness.

"Hey Kairi!" Daigo had been walking ahead of the two with Raido.

"Shh! You moron, she's sleeping." Tadashi glared at Daigo.

"Oh…so she didn't wake up? I thought I heard her voice…"

"Yeah, she was awake, but she's already back asleep. She needs to stay that way. She's still in critical condition."

~End of Chapter 7~


	8. Chapter 8

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

What's that sound? Kairi could hear something. It was a constant beeping. She slowly opened her eyes to some bright lights. Looking around, she saw that she was hooked up to an IV in the hospital. _What is so heavy on my legs?_ She peered down at her right thigh, seeing Daigo sleeping on her.

"He's been here since visiting hours started." Tadashi said. Kairi noticed him in a chair next to her bed.

Kairi smiled and put a hand on Daigo's head. "How long have I been here?" She looked back over at Tadashi. Her left arm was in a cast still, and her entire upper body was bandaged. She touched her abdomen gingerly.

"We arrived here yesterday morning."

"Really? So what have I missed?" She sat up off of the pillow.

"Not much, Raido-sensei got back this morning."

Kairi looked up at a clock on the wall. It read 3:46pm.

"I have to get going though, and so does this dope." Tadashi said, shooting a look at Daigo, who was now quietly snoring. "We're supposed to be training this afternoon. Raido-sensei said he's got something to discuss with the three of us when you're out of here."

"Do you know when I'm getting out of here?"

"They said when you woke up, the doctor would see if you were ready to be discharged." Tadashi punched Daigo over the head. "Wake up, you moron, you're hurting Kairi's legs."

Kairi gave him a look, because Daigo wasn't actually hurting her.

Daigo looked up, drool dripping down his mouth. "Sorry Kairi." His face turned concerned extremely fast. "How are you feeling?!"

Kairi laughed. "I'm doing fine, Daigo." She smiled. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Oh yeah, this is for you, Kairi." Daigo handed her an envelope.

"What's this?" Kairi was extremely confused.

"Just open it!" Daigo said impatiently.

"Come on, you dope, we have to go." Tadashi was getting impatient. "Kairi will survive a few hours without us."

Daigo reluctantly got up and put his jacket on. "I'll see you tomorrow Kairi!"

"Okay, bye you guys." She was still smiling.

As soon as they were out the door, she opened the envelope.

~~~

_Dear Kairi,_

I could never thank you enough for saving my son. I know you've had your hardships, and I extend you an open invitation to our home at any time. I'd love to meet you, and I know my son enjoys your company. Please, enjoy this coupon as well, I was told you would.

Sincere thanks,  
Shiori Yuudai

~~~

Kairi pulled the other slip of paper out to find a coupon for 3 free meals at Ichiraku.

_How sweet…I'll have to go visit her._ Kairi thought. She couldn't help but remember her childhood days at the Uchiha home.

~~~

_"Sasuke! Kairi! I made you both some lunch! So please come enjoy your curry before it's cold!" Mikoto Uchiha called out her window in her kitchen._

"Okay mother!" Sasuke called back to her. "I'll race you!" He said to Kairi.

She laughed. "I'll beat you!" She took off.

~~~

There was a knock at the door, and the nurse popped her head inside.

"Miss Kairi, if you're feeling up to it, you have a few visitors." She smiled and opened the door wider to make an opening. Kairi's face lit up.

"Hi guys!" Kairi smiled at Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura walking inside. "Are those for me?" Kairi asked when she saw Sakura putting some flowers in a vase next to her bed.

"Of course they are!" Sakura smiled, then she sat on Kairi's bed. "We heard you were in here after your mission, and wanted to come see you, the nurse thought you weren't awake yet. We just returned from our mission."

"Really? How was your mission?" Kairi was curious. Naruto came alive and told his own version of the mission.

~~~

"So, you're saying Kairi did that?" Raido was speaking with the 3rd Hokage and Kakashi. Kakashi was asking Raido about what had happened to Takuto by Kairi's hand.

"Yes. Before I arrived at the fight, Takuto had a great amount of damage. I came to realize later that it was internal damage as well." Raido spoke calmly with a bit of confusion.

"Ah, I see. She must have used the Dragon Rain Jutsu." The 3rd Hokage said.

Kakashi and Raido gave him blank looks.

"It's a jutsu that not only damages the enemy externally with kunai while holding them in place with the Dragon's Centerpoint, but also attacks them with chakra from with the Centerpoint. It's just surprising she was able to use it so successfully, because it requires incredible chakra control and amount."

"A genin with a jutsu that powerful? Where did she even learn it?" Kakashi asked.

"I taught it to her, as requested by her mother." The 3rd stood up from his chair and moved to look out the window. He sighed. "She's becoming more curious every day."

~~~

_"Sarutobi-sensei…" Kairi was sitting in the grass. It was the place he taught her the Dragon Rain Jutsu._

"Yes?" the 3rd Hokage took a puff of his pipe.

"Did you know my parents?" She became quiet.

"Yes."

She looked over at him. "Why haven't I ever been told anything about them…?"

He didn't know how to respond to her. She'd never asked about it. She always remained silent, and here she was, 12 years old, and wondering.

"You will understand, Kairi."

She was obviously not satisfied with this answer, but dropped it.

~~~

"I think it may be time to tell her."

Raido and Kakashi looked at each other.

"Naruto as well?" Raido asked.

"Yes. They're getting older, and they need to know." The 3rd took a puff of his pipe. "As for more pressing matters, who would have hired this man to get Kairi's techniques? As you both know, her bloodline is powerful."

"I'm not sure myself, because there's just no obvious answer. It could be any powerful feudal lord or Shinobi who wants the technique." Kakashi said.

"I couldn't get any information out of him before I had to kill him." Raido said.

"It would've been helpful if you could have brought him back alive." _I just hope it's not him who's behind all this…_ The 3rd thought to himself.

~~~

"I'm going home Kairi!" Naruto said as he walked out the door of her hospital room. He and Sasuke were the only ones left to visit her. It was about 6pm.

"Goodbye, Naruto." Kairi smiled at him and waved lightly. He disappeared outside.

"You need anything?" Sasuke spoke up for the first time since he was visiting. Kairi looked over at him.

"I don't think so," she grinned at him. "but I'm glad I have your company." Kairi's voice cracked.

Sasuke got up from his seat and came to sit on her bedside. "Are you alright, Kairi?" He put a hand on hers.

"Honestly," she had tears welling up in her eyes. "no." she began to weep. Sasuke immediately took her into his arms and hugged her, one hand around her and one behind her head.

"Shh." He cooed to her as she wept. I knew something was wrong. "What's the matter, Kairi?"

"I'm afraid, Sasuke." She grabbed his back. "What if…" she pulled away and wiped her eyes. "What if this person who is after me tries to get me again…?" she sobbed again.

"It won't happen." Sasuke put both of his hands on each cheek. "I will never, ever, let anyone take you away. I may not have been able to protect you before, but I will not fail ever again."

Kairi and Sasuke locked gazes for a few moments. Kairi's tears stopped flowing uncontrollably. Sasuke used his thumbs to gently wipe away her tears.

"Whenever I'm afraid, I look at you, Sasuke." Kairi put her arms around his neck and pulled him into another embrace. "You are my strength."

Sasuke knew then and there, that he himself was in love with Kairi.

"I will always protect you, Kairi." Sasuke said gently, and he kissed her hair.

~~~

It had been a few days since Kairi's discharge from the hospital, and Team 9 had carried out numerous D-rank missions. Things like cutting lawns, catching pets, walking dogs. They were walking through the village when they had just finished cleaning a farmer's barn.

"Why do we have to do such pointless missions, Raido-sensei?!" Daigo bursted out at him. He was scraping manure off of his shoe.

"They're not pointless, they're for gaining experience." Raido said, holding his forehead with his hand. "You'd do well not to complain."

"Although these missions seem a bit…well, ridiculous, I'm sure there's a point somewhere in it." Kairi said to Daigo. She was pulling hay out of her hair. Who am I kidding? These missions are so stupid…

"Is that…a spider?" Kairi asked Daigo, noticing something moving in his hair.

"AHHHH!" Daigo jumped. He frantically started smacking his head.

Raido noticed a bird flying above them. Lord Hokage, and it's important. "Alright guys, let's call it a day. I have to file my report on this mission."

"I'll see you guys later, my mother wants me home." Tadashi turned to leave.

"Bye Tadashi, tell your mom hi for me." Daigo said to him.

"Sure thing." Tadashi put his hand up as he walked away.

"Hey Kairi, I'll probably go home too, I'm sure my mom wants my help today as well." Daigo turned to leave as well.

"Okay." She smiled. "See you later, Daigo."

~~~

Kairi started her way back to her apartment when she heard Naruto's loud voice.  
She walked up to him to find him with Sakura, Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon. Naruto had been pummeled into a wall, and Konohamaru was lying next to him, pummeled as well. Sakura was storming past Kairi.

"Hey, Sakura…" She tried to say something.

"I'm going home!" She snapped back.

_Someone's in a bad mood…_ Kairi thought. She continued walking to Naruto.

"Are you guys alright?" She asked.

"Sakura has a bit of a temper." Naruto said, faceplanted into the wall still.

"I don't even think she's human!" Konohamaru was holding his bruised head. "Did you see how wide her forehead was?!" He was shouting. Kairi put a hand over his mouth.

_Shit! Konohamaru!_ Kairi looked back at Sakura.

Sakura turned back and charged at him. Konohamaru ran for it, right into a boy.

He looked up at the boy he'd hit.

"Do you need something?" The boy was tall and had paint marks all over his face. He wore a black outfit. There was a blonde girl next to him.

_Judging by their headbands, they're sand ninja…_ Kairi thought.

The boy picked Konohamaru up by his shirt.

~End of Chapter 8~


	9. Chapter 9

"Konohamaru!" Kairi said.

"So, does this hurt, punk?" the paint-faced boy tightened his grip, and Konohamaru cringed.

"Put him down, Kankuro, or you know you'll pay for it later." The blonde girl chastised him.

"Hey…I'm sorry. The whole thing was my fault." Sakura was afraid, and was trying to fix things. _Who are they? __**What**__ are they?_

"You better take your hands off him right now!" Kairi shouted at him.

Kankuro turned his awful gaze to her. "Would you rather I play with you?" She faltered as he spoke so darkly to her.

The boy continued tightening his grip. Konohamaru started to choke.

_So these are the Leaf Village's genin, huh?_ "We got a few minutes, let's mess with these punks." Kankuro grinned evilly.

Konohamaru began to kick futilely. "Let me go, you big jerk!"

"You're feisty." Kankuro smirked. "But not for long." He tightened his grip more.

Naruto started running at the paint-faced boy. "Put him down!" He growled.

With a movement of his fingers, Kankuro put Naruto flat on his back.

"What the-?! What was that?" Naruto shouted.

"You're a leaf genin too? Looks like your village is full of weaklings." Kankuro said in response.

_What are these guys doing here?_ Kairi clenched her fists.

"You're all annoying, and I don't like runts or scrawny weaklings." Kankuro said, making a fist. "So when a wimp like you starts shooting his mouth, I just wanna break him in half." He finished with an evil grin.

"*Sigh* Fine, I'm not involved in any of this, okay?" The blonde girl said.

Just as Kankuro pulled his fist back, Kairi launched a kick at his arm. He dropped Konohamaru. Then, before he could catch himself, she kicked his feet out from under him.

_Whoa, I didn't even see her coming!_ Kankuro held his arm. _She's not like these other twerps._

"You leave us alone!" Kairi shouted at him.

"Why you little-!" Kankuro shouted. He stood up and was about to throw a punch, but was stopped by a stone that was launched at his hand. "Huh?!" He looked up at the tree, and Sasuke was there.

"You're a long way from home, and way out of your league." Sasuke said, tossing another stone in his hand.

Kairi leaned over to Konohamaru and whispered when no one was paying attention. "You should probably go back over there." She motioned to Naruto. He scrambled that way.

"Oh great, another wimp." Kankuro said.

"Get lost." Sasuke said firmly, crushing the stone in his hand.

_Sasuke! Always trying to make me look bad in front of everyone!_ Naruto was flaming with anger.

"Hey punk, get down here." Kankuro said to Sasuke. "You're the kind of pesky snots I hate the most. All attitude and nothing to back it up." He looked at Kairi. "Especially you. You've got a lot of spunk for a little girl."

_Little? I'll show you, asshole!_ Kairi shot him a cold glare.

Kankuro started to take a large mummy-looking case off of his back.

"What?! You're going to use the crow for this?!" The blonde girl shouted at him. She sounded very concerned.

"Kankuro, back off." A voice came from the other side of the tree. Sasuke gasped. "You're an embarrassment to our village." He said. He had red hair, and a huge gourd on his back. He was standing upside down on a tree branch.

_What the…_ Kairi was taken aback.

"Uh…hey Gaara." He laughed, nervously.

_How did he get there? He didn't even make a sound! Only jonin at Kakashi's level are that smooth._ Sasuke was troubled.

~~~

"I have summoned you for a very important purpose." The 3rd Hokage was making an announcement. "Seeing your fellow Jonin, I'm sure you know what this is about."

"So soon?" Kakashi asked. "I thought we'd have a little more time."

"I take it all of the other lands have been notified about the coming event." Raido said. "I've already seen their genin around the village."

"When do we start?" Kurenai, Team 8's sensei asked.

"We will begin in one week." The hokage stated.

"That's pretty short notice." Kakashi said.

"Exactly 7 days from today, on the first day of July, the Genin will be gathered and tested. Only the very best will be selected as Chunin." The Hokage finished.

~~~

"Have you forgotten the reason we've come all the way here?" Gaara asked firmly.

"B-but Gaara, they challenged us! See, here's what happened-"

"Shut up." He shot a piercing, evil look at Kankuro. "Or I'll kill you." It shot shivers down everyone's spine.

"Heh, right right. I was totally out of line. I'm sorry Gaara." Kankuro was sweating now.

Almost as if he wasn't listening, Gaara turned his head to look at Kairi. "I'm sorry for any trouble he caused."

Kairi just looked at him. _This guy…has an awful, evil look in his eye._

_He stopped Kankuro with a pebble, and made it look easy. She stopped him with one swift kick. They're both someone to keep an eye on._ Gaara thought. He turned to sand and appeared next to Kankuro. "Let's go. We didn't come here to play games." The three turned and began to walk away.

"Hold on!" Sakura shouted at them. They didn't stop. "Hey!"

"What?" The blonde girl asked.

"You're from the Village Hidden in the Sand. No shinobi can enter another's Village without permission." Kairi stated.

"So state your purpose!" Sakura shouted. "And it better be good!"

"Really? Have you all been living under a rock?" the blonde girl replied. "We have permission." She held up her pass. "You're correct, we are Hidden Sand Genin." She said to Kairi. "We're here for the Chunin Exams. Get the picture?" she sassed.

"What are the Chunin Exams…?" Naruto scratched his head.

"Naruto, it's when the Genin of the village are tested to become Chunin." Kairi said to him. Isn't it obvious by the name?

"Oh! Why didn't you say so?! I am so there!" Naruto became determined.

"Hmph." Gaara turned and started walking again.

"Hey, you! With the gourd!" Sasuke hopped down from the tree next to Kairi. "Identify yourself!"

Gaara stopped walking again. "My name is Gaara of the Desert. I'm curious about you, too. Who are you?" He turned to look at Sasuke.

"Sasuke Uchiha."

Gaara looked at Kairi.

Oh, he's looking at me. "Kairi Namikaze."

"Hi there, I bet you wanna know my name too-" Naruto started.

"I couldn't care less who you are." Gaara turned again and disappeared with the other two.

"Well, things are getting interesting." Kairi said to Sasuke. He smirked at her.

~~~

"All right, it's time to choose our candidates." The 3rd hokage said. "To begin, will those in charge of the rookie Genin please step forward?" Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma and Raido stepped forward.

"Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma and Raido. What do you say? Are there any in your squads ready for examination despite their inexperience? As you know, technically, any Genin that has carried out 8 or more missions is eligible. Beyond that, only you can decide if they are ready."

_There's no need to say all of this. It's way too soon for all of them._ Iruka thought.

"Kakashi, you begin." The 3rd Hokage motioned to him.

"I lead Squad 7. Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno. I, Kakashi Hatake, recommend all three of these Genin for the Chunin selection exams."

Iruka gasped.

"My Squad is number 8. Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame. I, Kurenai Yuhi, recommend all three."

"Mine is Squad 9. Daigo Yuudai, Tadashi Akihiro and Kairi Namikaze. I, Raido Namiashi, recommend all three."

"And I lead Squad 10. Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi. I, Asuma Sarutobi, recommend all three."

There was whispering all around.

"Hold on, just a minute!" Iruka shouted. "Lord Hokage, with all due respect, the nine names that were just listed were all my students at the academy, and I know their talents and abilities! Every one of them has great promise, but it's way too soon! They need more experience! If they do it now, they are sure to fail!" He was pleading.

"When I became a Chunin, I was 6 years younger than Naruto is now." Kakashi stated.

"Naruto is nothing like you!" Iruka shouted. He walked to get in Kakashi's face. "Are you trying to destroy him?!"

"Well, they're always complaining about not being challenged enough. Maybe wiping out on the exams will teach them a lesson."

"A little pain is good." Raido chimed in.

"Wha-What did you say?!" Iruka continued to shout.

"Oh, nothing fatal, of course. But seriously Iruka, relax." Kakashi said in a calm voice.

Iruka grunted in frustration.

"I understand how you feel. It's very personal for you, and it upsets you, but-"

"Alright Kakashi, back off. You've said enough." Kurenai interrupted him.

"On the contrary, Kurenai. Iruka needs to hear this. He needs to realize that they're not his students anymore, they're ours." Raido backed Kakashi up.

"But these exams could destroy them! You know that!" Iruka began to shout again.

"Iruka!" The 3rd shouted. "You have made your point. I understand." He spoke calmly.

"Lord Hokage." He said respectfully in response.

"They have proven they're ready to me." He cocluded. Iruka conceded.

~~~

"Ahh! Where are they?!" Naruto shouted. He, Sakura, Sasuke, Tadashi, Daigo and Kairi were all waiting under that cherry blossom tree for their senseis.

"This happens every time, it's about time we get used to it." Kairi was sitting on the bench under the tree. "It's always the same. We rush to get here and end up waiting."

Poof! "Hey everyone." Raido and Kakashi appeared in a puff of smoke.

"Sorry, got lost on the path of life." Kakashi said, cheerfully.

"Bullshit!" Daigo yelled at them.

Both teams gathered closer.

"I know this is a bit sudden, but we recommend all of you for the Chunin exams." Kakashi said.

"Here's the application forms." Raido passed them each one. "This is all voluntary. It's up to each of you. If you don't feel ready, you can wait till next year."

"All right! Kakashi-sensei you rock!" Naruto jumped up to hug him.

"Don't you slobber on my vest!" Kakashi threw him off. "Whoever wants to take the exams, sign the application and come to Room 301 at the academy at 3pm five days from now. That's it."

"This is perfect!" Kairi was exuberant.

Naruto giggled. "Chunin Exams!" He looked at the application.

~End of Chapter 9~


	10. Chapter 10

"I hope I get the chance to fight that guy with the gourd." Sasuke said to Kairi as they walked towards the training grounds.

"I wonder what the heck his problem is." Kairi was kicking along a small pebble. "He really gave me chills. I hope I don't run into him in combat."

"You know, while I was on that mission in the Village Hidden in the Mist, I used my Sharingan for the first time." Sasuke said.

"Really?" Kairi looked over at him. "What was it like?"

"I felt so much...power." Sasuke looked at his hands, and made a fist. "I could see everything. My enemy's moves, what he was thinking, and how to beat him."

"It's going to come in handy." Kairi smirked at him.

Sasuke smirked back.

~~~

"Phew!" Kairi collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. "I think I'm ready to call it quits for today!"

Sasuke collapsed next to her, huffing. "Yeah." He hesitated. He looked over at Kairi lying next to him. "You wanna go grab some ramen?" He knew it was her favorite thing to eat. She immediately looked over at him and smiled.

"Hey, Kairi." Kairi lifted her head up to see Tsuyoshi standing a few feet from her.

"Tsuyoshi!" Kairi scrambled and stood up immediately. _Oh no…I haven't seen him since the spa…_ Takuto's fate popped into her head. "Hey!"

"I was wondering if I could talk to you…" He paused. "Alone."

_Asshole._ Sasuke thought. Before Kariri could object, he got up and started walking off.

"Sasuke wait! You don't have to go, I'll be right back!" Kairi said to him. _Don't leave me alone…this is going to be a bad situation…_

"I'll be at my apartment if you need me." He continued walking. Tsuyoshi seemed pretty upset. _He better not upset her._

_Good riddance._ Tsuyoshi thought.

"I'll see you later then, Sasuke…." Kairi said. She gulped. "So what's up?" she cheerily looked back at Tsuyoshi.

"I was just in the Hokage's office…" he started. "…and…I…" tears started welling up in his eyes. "…my brother is dead…"

Kairi made a rash decision to act as if she had no idea. She knew that the details of the mission were not revealed as to which squads completed what missions, so there was no way anyone knew it was her team who had caused this fate.

"W-what happened…?" Kairi said slowly. _I wonder why he's telling me though…_

"He attacked some Leaf shinobi on their mission." He stopped.

~~~

_"Tsuyoshi, your brother was killed today." The 3rd hokage said to Tsuyoshi, who was standing in his office._

"W-what?" Tsuyoshi felt a lot of inner turmoil, but the amount of hate he'd felt for his brother overwhelmed him. "By who?!"

"It was a mission carried out by a shinobi of our village. He attacked them." The hokage slowly continued. He wasn't sure of the reaction he was going to get.

"Well it looks like someone did my job for me." Tsuyoshi said.

"There's more you need to know." The hokage became serious.

"What do you mean? It seems pretty plain and simple to me."

"We're still trying to determine who is the mastermind, but we've discovered that your brother is not responsible for the death of your family."

Tsuyoshi froze, then and there. As if he was unsure of reality, he looked at the floor with such a blank stare, anybody would assume him dead. What…?_ He thought._

"That can't be true…" Tsuyoshi began to cry. "How would you know that?! My brother hated me and my parents! That's why he killed them, and left me to be alone!" Tsuyoshi smashed his hands onto the hokage's desk. "He wanted to take Kairi away from me to ensure I'd always be miserable and alone!"

After a few moments of sitting in hysterical tears, Tsuyoshi began to cry for real. Sobbing, whimpering and completely upset. The 3rd walked to him and put a warm hand on his shoulder. Tsuyoshi put his head on the 3rd's shoulder.

~~~

"He didn't kill them…he didn't do it." Tsuyoshi was sitting on the ground. Kairi bent down next to him and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "But now I'll never know anything…because he's dead."

"I'm so sorry Tsuyoshi…" Kairi put her arms around Tsuyoshi and held him.

"Don't be…I'll find out someday…I'll figure it out. I just have to get out of here." Tsuyoshi swiftly just stood up and clenched his fists.

_Tsuyoshi…? It's like his entire demeanor has changed…that look in his eye…_ Kairi almost felt a little afraid. "Get out of where? What do you mean?"

"I need answers, and I'm not going to get them here." Tsuyoshi turned away from her and took a few steps.

"What? Where are you going?!" Kairi scrambled after him and grabbed his shoulder. In turn, he grabbed her wrist, and looked her in the eye.

"Someday, I will see you again." Tsuyoshi said to her. Then, he leaned down, and kissed her very quickly and gently.

Kariri gasped. _What?!_ She pulled away. "But Tsuyo-"

~~~

"Kairi? Is that you?"

_What is that…? Ugh…my head…_

"Kairi?!"

_Sasuke…?_

"Are you okay?" Sasuke asked her, he held her head in his arm and supported her body with the other.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She slowly regained her strength.

"What the hell happened?"

"Tsuyoshi…I was talking to him…and I think he's…gone." Kairi said up on her own.

"What do you mean, gone?" Sasuke asked calmly.

"He's just…gone…"

Sasuke noticed that Kairi's wrist had been bruised. "What did he do to you?!"

Kairi looked at him. _I know he'll be angry if I tell him that Tsuyoshi kissed me, so I'm going to keep it to myself for now._

"I'm okay..." She said. Sasuke dropped it. He didn't like it, but he didn't want to keep pressing the problem.

Kairi pressed her head into his shoulder.

Sasuke and Kairi sat their together quietly for a moment, and then Sasuke helped her to her feet. "How about some of that ramen now?" Sasuke and Kairi both didn't seem to be on the same page about what Kairi meant by "gone".

"Yeah, let's get out of here." She looked back at the trees behind her, before joining Sasuke's side.

~~~

_I can't stay in this place…there's too many memories that I no longer understand. I need to find answers, and I can't do that in this village._ Tsuyoshi watched from the trees as Kairi left with Sasuke. _I will have you for myself, Kairi. Sasuke will not take you away from me so easily._


End file.
